By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former Eskom and Transnet Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Anoj Singh has lost his latest application to have his bail conditions relaxed.
Singh had lodged an application late in 2023 to have his bail conditions relaxed as he wants to take up the CEO job offer in Dubai.
Magistrate Emmanuel Magampa said the court had found it hard to believe that Singh could not find any employment in South Africa.
He added that he was concerned about the sketchy details provided by Singh about his proposed employment in Dubai.
“In the absence of contract of employment, one cannot determine how much he will earn, what is his leave provision and what impact will that have on his commitments to attend the trial will definitely run over a long time. This is in addition to further court appearances before the actual trial begins,” Magampa said.
The magistrate said he understood that Singh could not get senior jobs he had previously held because he had been stripped of his chartered accountant status.
However, he added that he could still be employed as a consultant or find other employment.
Singh is out on R50 000 bail and has surrendered his passport as part of his bail conditions.
Singh, former Transnet CEO, Brian Molefe, and other executives were arrested in connection with R398.4 million fraud and corruption at Transnet in August 2022.
They face an array of charges which include contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and fraud, corruption and money laundering.
The charges stem from the locomotives transaction advisory tender which was awarded to the McKinsey-led consortium in 2012, resulting in the procurement of 1064 locomotives worth more than R54 billion.